Gnocchi with Tomato Sauce

Soft, pillowy gnocchi made with whole-wheat pastry flour and part-skim ricotta, served with a sweet and savory tomato sauce, is an adaptation of the Argentine dish ñoqui con tuco.

Prep time: 15 to 20 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes to 1 hour

Ingredients

Tomato Sauce:

• 3 tablespoons (45 milliliters) extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ cup grated carrot
• 1 cup diced yellow onion
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1¼ teaspoons kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ cup diced jarred roasted red pepper
• ¼ cup tomato paste
• 1 28-ounce can whole San Marzano tomatoes, undrained
• 1 cup (240 milliliters) water or unsalted vegetable stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (plus more for garnish, if desired)

Gnocchi:

• 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, quartered
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 cups whole-wheat pastry flour, divided
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, if desired

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a medium Dutch oven or stock pot over medium heat. Add carrot and onion and sauté 4 to 5 minutes until soft.
2. Stir in garlic, salt, black pepper, cumin, smoked paprika and oregano and sauté 30 to 60 seconds until fragrant.
3. Stir in roasted red pepper, tomato paste and tomatoes. Use a wooden spoon to crush tomatoes in the pot, then add water or stock and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook 10 to 15 minutes.
4. Turn off heat, remove bay leaf and stir in basil. Use an immersion blender to puree sauce to desired smoothness.
5. Bring a gallon of water to a boil in a large stock pot. Add potatoes and cook until fork-tender, about 15 minutes. Drain potatoes and place in a large mixing bowl.
6. Pour another gallon of fresh water into the same stock pot and bring to a boil.
7. Mash potatoes until smooth.
8. Stir in eggs, ricotta and salt.
9. Mix with clean hands until a uniform dough is formed.
10. Add 2 cups flour in ½-cup increments, mixing by hand until dough is soft and pliable.
11. Divide dough into four or six pieces.
12. Coat a clean, flat work surface with remaining cup of flour (working in batches if workspace is small). Roll each piece of dough into a long, thin tube, about ¾-inch thick.
13. Cut tubes into 1-inch pieces. Press the back of a fork into each piece of gnocchi while rolling it to form an imprint (optional).
14. Place gnocchi in boiling water and cook 2 to 3 minutes, until gnocchi floats to the top. Scoop out gnocchi using a slotted spoon and place in serving bowls with tomato sauce.
15. Garnish with additional fresh basil and Parmesan, if desired.
    
    

Cooking note: Gnocchi may be frozen for one to three months before boiling, but the cooking time from frozen will be a little longer. Lay gnocchi on a small baking sheet, freeze and transfer to an airtight container. To freeze tomato sauce, transfer to an airtight microwave-safe container and freeze for up to 6 months. To reheat sauce, microwave on high in 5-minute intervals, stirring each time, until hot. (Recommended times for freezing are for quality purposes only and not related to food safety.)

Nutritional Information

Servings 12
Serving size: ⅔ cup gnocchi and ⅓ cup sauce
Calories: 266; Total Fat: 7g; Saturate Fat: 2g; Cholesterol: 32mg; Sodium: 572mg; Carbohydrate: 45g; Fiber: 7g; Sugar: 4g; Protein: 9g.

This recipe originally was featured in Food & Nutrition Magazine^®, published by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.